


5 Times Taako Commandeered Someone's Bed (While They're In It)

by BadassIndustries



Series: Stories from the Adventure Zone Family [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), The Adventure Zone - Balance - Fandom
Genre: A Whole lot of cuddling with family, And a Whole Lot of Platonic Family Feelings, Barry Bluejeans & Taako Friendship, Barry POV, Canon Compliant, Cuddling, Don't copy to another site, Episode: e060-066 The Stolen Century Parts 1-7, F/M, Going from friends to family, Kravitz POV, Kravitz will appear later, M/M, Magnus POV, No Angst, Platonic Bedsharing, Updates Thursdays, Will span Stolen Century till Post Story & Song, but they're mostly asleep so i'm not tagging them, canon ships, many friends appear in this chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21769735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadassIndustries/pseuds/BadassIndustries
Summary: Taako sometimes invades beds that are not his own. Taako's family learns to deal with sharing with him and his five blankets and his inability to just ask for a hug or company when he needs it.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans & Taako, Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Series: Stories from the Adventure Zone Family [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529723
Comments: 72
Kudos: 253





	1. Blanket Nests

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to a new 5 times fic! This time it's other folks pov of Taako and also a lot of growing closer as a family and cuddling.  
> This story has been pre-written and will post weekly.
> 
> Enjoy!

Barry's finding it hard to fall asleep. Lup's gone, away to dazzle the locals with her fire powers. Last they heard, she'd nearly dazzled them enough into letting her at least see the Light. It's funny. They'd only gotten together officially last cycle. He's only had Lup sharing his bed for a few short months. And already he keeps waking up, pawing at the empty space next to him. Even in his sleep, he misses her. Someday, he might even work up the courage to tell her that.

He drifts off again, pondering whether Lup would smile at that, or kiss him, or make a joke out of it to hide her blush. It’s a very sweet, rosy kind of dream he gets woken up from abruptly when the door hits the wall and harsh light streams into his room. A figure bundled in blankets is silhouetted in the doorway.

"Lup?" Barry asks, scrambling for his glasses. She's not supposed to be back for at least a week. But maybe she missed him? She would do that, just come over to surprise him. Because she wants to spend time with him, miraculous as that sounds.

"Nope." says Taako, striding in and slamming the door shut behind him. He's trailing bedspreads and quilts, which he dumps on Barry's bed.

"Is something wrong?" Barry asks nervously. This isn't exactly regular behaviour. Taako is more of a midnight chef than a midnight wanderer. Certainly not when carrying all his bedding around.

"Nah nothing’s wrong— actually yeah. It's stupid cold, Lup's gone and I'm sick of staring at the walls waiting for sleep." Without looking Barry in the eye, he steals the second pillow he keeps there for Lup.

"So then I thought 'How can I make it someone else's problem, oh I know, let's go visit my old friend Barold."

Taako's still studiously avoiding his gaze, arranging his five blankets to his exacting specifications. It forms a sort of nest and takes over a lot more than half the bed.

"Uhm Taako, if you wanna sleep here—"

Taako ignores him, curls up in the nest he's made and closes his eyes with an edge of theatricality. Barry smiles a little.

"I mean, of course you can stay here, if you're feeling—"

"Shush Barold,” Taako interrupts him, eyes pressed closed and still managing to look offended. “Can’t you see I'm trying to sleep here?"

Barry grins. He won’t let Taako get away with this so easily. It’s high time he learns to ask nicely.

"Well, if you didn't want to hear me talk you shouldn't have come. Really, I think we should discuss exactly why you’re here—" Taako opens one eye and glares at him.

"Shut up Barry,” he says in a warning tone, “you owe me for not telling Lup about all the pining. But of course I could also leave you in peace, maybe to write my dear sister a long letter. Very long and very detailed. Would you like that huh?"

Barry shuts up. The threat would have held more weight if it didn’t come from the middle of a soft and cuddly blanket nest, but still. Taako could spill a lot of Barry’s more embarrassing secrets. It’s strange he’d use that blackmail now and not to get out of doing chores though. Taako is curled up close, very carefully not touching Barry, but definitely in cuddling range were it not for the mountain of blankets. He also kind of looks like he might want a hug. Taako's been spending more time in Magnus' room, whenever Lup stays in Barry's room. But Magnus is gone now too. Maybe Barry's not the only one pining for Lup's company. Very carefully, he extends an arm, a silent offer. Taako doesn't take it, but his ears relax from their tense position. When he turns around again, he's lying just a little closer to Barry. Barry falls asleep with a smile on his face.


	2. Cuddles for Equality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It turns out there _is_ enough room on tiny dormroom beds for both Barry, his girlfriend and his brother-in-law to share if they really want to.

Every time they land on a non-hostile planet, the crew of the Starblaster breathes a collective sigh of relief. Especially if they can all get off the ship and stay somewhere that isn't the Starblaster. Pleasant enough as their ship is, it is still a research vessel built for short term exploration, not long term comfort. Their current rooms aren't much of an improvement over the Starblaster cabins though. They're cramped, dark and remind Barry very much of his dorm room at university. Which is fitting, since that's where they are. Enrolled in university to get the right diploma to be allowed to see the very exclusive light experiments this plane's highest scientists are conducting. No matter that all the IPRE crew is massively overqualified for this. They get homework now. Barry still has three essays to write. Four, if you count Magnus’ essay too. Magnus refuses to actually do the mandatory reading and Barry can’t let him turn something in that doesn’t contain at least an adequate form of literature review. Only one person has to get the degree to get to the light, but still. Barry can’t let that happen, he still has to look his professors in the eye next week.

Maybe he can get Merle to write it. To literally everybody’s surprise, Merle managed to become the teacher’s pet within two weeks. It seems Pannites really do stick together, even if the Pan they worship isn’t exactly the same guy. A strikingly different number of limbs is only the start of it. But the hymns seem to be more or less the same and Merle gets a higher mark in his class every time he goes to the weekly sing-alongs with another new convert. Maybe if Magnus pretends to be converted he’ll pass the class without having to hand in the essay. Or would that breach of academic ethics ruin things for the others? Barry sighs to himself and rolls over on the creaky bed. He liked Legato a lot better. Lup, without waking up, bats at his side to get him to lie still. She'd taken one look at her room in the girl's dormitories and declared it barely adequate to be her walk-in-closet. She splits her time between Barry and Taako's rooms. Barry is very very grateful, even though he fears the rickety bed might succumb to their combined weight. Barry represses a sigh. Sleep is evading him tonight, everything is keeping him awake. There’s a vaguely audible beat from someone’s music coming from upstairs, there’s a draft that keeps coming from a different corner of the room and there's someone walking outside. It’s distracting. He turns again, trying to get comfortable. Lup frowns and throws her leg over his to keep him still. The footsteps get louder. Lup presses her head into Barry's shoulder. She's very determined not to wake up, even though she doesn't even need sleep. It's actually really cute. There's bonking on the door now. It sounds like Taako's impatient knocking. He and Lup have a signature rhythm, the origin of which they have so far kept a secret. It’s a very distinctive rhythm.

"Come in?" Barry says, even though the door is already opening. On the first glance, Taako looks fine. No injuries, no panic, no reason to barge in in the middle of the night. On the second, Barry sees that his eyes look tired and his ears are drooping. He's holding himself as regally as ever, but Barry can see through the mask of his hauteur now. Before he’s even properly through the door, Taako starts complaining.

"You know, It's not fair. Lup gets to use your room. And she gets to use my room _and her own_ and I won't stand for this inequality. Shove over."

He plops himself down next to Lup. She groans and tries to occupy the same place as Barry to give him space to lie down. Taako curls around her, face pressed to her back. It's a tight squeeze. Lup ends up with her head on Barry's shoulder and her legs on her brother. She's still not really awake, but lets out a satisfied purr anyway. Barry brushes the hair out of her face and pulls the blanket further over Taako’s shoulder. If the bed breaks, they'll fix it. It's worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very attached to the idea that Lup prefers to sleep half on top of people and that Taako sleeps curled up pressing against people.
> 
> Extra shoutout to the person who managed to leave 11 kudos on two of my taz stories, it made my day!  
> Next up is the last Barry pov chapter, including more family cuddles! 
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts, your comments make me very happy!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Anniversary Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A cozy morning on the Starblaster with elaborate breakfast foods.

Barry wakes up to Lup's eyes, staring intently at him from 5 inches away. She’s hanging over him, their legs still tangled and her weight comfortably on his chest. He's used to this, but it still makes his heart jump every time. Sure, he can lose hours just looking at her talk and laugh, but that she wants to spend her time just looking at him sleeping is still miraculous. He blinks sleepily at her and gets a soft kiss for his trouble. It’s the best way he could possibly imagine waking up. Lup pulls away before it can deepen, which is out of the ordinary and makes Barry frown a little. She kisses his forehead instead.

"I'd love to, babe, but we've got something planned."

Barry was not aware they had a plan. The gentle feeling of softly waking up evaporates. Before Barry can recall what he's forgotten, the door swings open and a tray of breakfast food levitates inside. Taako follows, carrying pink drinks with cheery umbrellas in them. He plops himself down at the foot of the bed without spilling a drop. The tray settles gently on Lup's lap. "What's the occasion?" Barry asks, nerves curling in his stomach. It's not anyone's birthday, that's for certain. And his and Lup's anniversary is still months off. He frowns.

Lup kisses his frown away while Taako retches in the background. "It’s your Lich-iversary, dummy," says Taako, pressing a drink into his hand. "And we're celebrating."

Has it really been a year since the ceremony? Have they really been incorporated liches for a full year? It must be. Taako doesn’t do breakfast in bed for just any occasion. And successfully cheating death is definitely worth these delicious omelettes. It’s actually the same recipe Taako made after he learned about the Lich Plan. For a while after Lup talked to him, Taako silently made all their favourites. Lup and Barry had decided not to mention it. He probably still thinks they hadn’t noticed. Taako prefers his kindness obscured by many colourful distractions. Like spending months experimenting in the kitchen to magic up ingredients or substitutes to all their favourite foods that Barry can actually eat. Of course Taako always claimed it was just to prove his infinite superiority, or to show off or win a bet. But Barry isn’t fooled. If it was just about showing off, Taako would have quit when ice-cream attempt number five exploded in his face. It took off half of his eyebrow, a tragedy Taako bemoaned fully and loudly to anyone who dared come within twenty feet of him. And yet there’s a tub of “Barold-Safe Raspberry Icecream” in the freezer right now.

There’s bacon still frying in the kitchen, if that smell is any indication. And if Barry knows Taako and Lup, which he does, there’ll be pancakes and at least one more kind of carb too. Barry settles in for a long brunch, an elf on either side of him, stealing the last bits of food from his plate whenever he’s too slow to stop them.

When the meal's done and the trays sent back to the kitchen, they all take a nap together. They’re all too full and content to fight about who gets to be in the middle and who gets to use the best pillow. It's the nicest morning Barry has had in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay cuddles! This was the last chapter of Barry's POV, next up we skip to post Story and Song for a Magnus chapter!
> 
> Today's shoutout goes out to those people I can see travel through my taz fic. For those who haven't found it yet, I also have a Lup pov fic that's not in this series.
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this weeks' cuddles and as always, thanks for reading!


	4. Sleepover Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus' housewarming is going great, there's friends, dogs, alcohol, fire, and one happy goldfish. Too bad there's something wrong with Taako.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we've skipped straight over the entire campaign to end up post Story and Song. This one veers a little closer to emotional hurt/comfort than the other ones, but it's still firmly on the side of fluff. Magnus POV is hard.
> 
> Enjoy!

There’s something wrong with Taako. Sure, he seems fine, telling outrageous lies and transmuting the wood in the firepit to turn the fire into pretty rainbow colours, but Magnus knows there’s something not quite right. He seemed fine earlier this evening, barging in Magnus’ new home with trays of fancy food floating behind him. He even petted Johann when he thought Magnus wasn’t looking. But now there’s an edge of dissatisfaction to him, even while he’s making fun of Merle for giving Magnus a truly terrible housewarming gift. Magnus has already decided to keep it right next to the hearth, so the awfully knobbly piece of wood might accidentally catch fire. The thing looks like it has eyes. Malicious, murderous eyes.

Magnus looks around and decides it’s time to direct people to his guestrooms. Avi’s present was some excellent booze and the effects are being felt all around him. Carey and Kilian have been slumping into each other more and more and he’s sure Killian has actually been asleep for the past ten minutes. Jess had already left because of an early match tomorrow and the kids had all been marched off to bed ages ago, taking Johann with them to sleep at the foot of Angus’ bed. Lucretia had come only to give a gift, some tasteful ceramic jars filled with hard candy, and left soon after. She also cited work as a reason to leave early, but Magnus thought it was probably more of an evasive manoeuvre. He’d still gotten to give her an authentic Magnus Burnsides Bearhug though, so that was alright. Noelle, unaffected by either alcohol or sleep is herding a thoroughly drunk Merle and Avi towards their rooms because she’s sweet like that. After some prodding, Hurley and Sloane thank him for a rad party and disappear inside, entwined so closely the seams in the wood are hardly visible. That leaves Taako, staring into the fire silently now his audience has gone, and Carey and Killian slumped onto each other in a precarious balance, both snoring. A broad smile steals onto Magnus’ face. Stealthily, he creeps along the fire.

“Taako,”he whispers, possibly a bit too loudly. Taako looks up with a start. Magnus shushes him before he can ruin anything. Taako looks at the scarred fingers waving in front of him with full offense.

“Shush!” says Magnus again, “They’re sleeping.” He waves a large hand towards Cary and Killian to illustrate. It nearly makes him lose his balance. Avi’s gift might possibly be affecting him too. Taako frowns at him. He doesn’t get the brilliancy, or urgency, of this opportunity. Magnus points at the sleeping couple again.

“They’re sleeping! I can’t miss my chance! I gotta—I gotta write something.” He pats his pockets but comes up empty, except for the bouncy balls he keeps in there to play with Johann. He looks at Taako pleadingly.

“Sorry my dude, if you wanna start shit with Scales and Muscles over there, you can count me out. Taako doesn’t do this shit anymore. They could break me and then where would we be? Deprived of my company, Faerun’s brightest star extinguished before his time. All because you want to stupidly deface your friends’ face. It ain’t worth it, homie.”

Magnus shakes his head vehemently. “No, Taako, I need some paper, please! He sticks out his bitten lip and tries to look like Johann does whenever Magnus won’t let him chew on his armour. Miraculously, it works. Magnus has to stop himself from cheering when Taako hands him a piece of paper that was a woodchip only a second ago. He throws his arms around Taako in thanks, who lets it happen without a struggle. Next he carefully takes a halfburnt stick from the fire, blows it out and uses the charcoal to carefully inscribe a message. His tongue pokes out a little, but this is an important message so it’s okay. He even draws a little heart next to the words “Ask her already”, to really get the message across. Writing done, he stands up and sneaks over to Cary and Killian on tiptoes. Using all his concentration and the full extent of his rogue skills he plants the scrap of paper in the same pocket where he knows Carey has been carrying a wooden puzzle box around for ages. He clamps his hand over his mouth to keep from giggling. The student has beaten the master. He looks back to Taako to get his reaction, but Taako’s just staring at the dying fire again. He’s not even hiding a smile like he usually does. All the little signs that have been piling up suddenly add up to a full picture. Taako’s unhappy about something. Really unhappy. Unhappy enough he didn’t even try to push Magnus away even though that hug definitely exceeded his allotted three seconds. Magnus’ frown deepens. He sidles up to Taako again, aiming for subtlety.

“Sooo… Taako, how’s the brand? And more importantly, ”Magnus puts his hand on Taako’s shoulder to show he cares, “how are you?”

“Absolutely peachy, my man,” says Taako in that breezy tone that means he is not and has not been peachy for some time. Magnus reconsiders. It’s late, they’re alone and Taako has been partaking of the spirits generously all night. This could either go exactly as planned or disastrously. Oh well, can’t know till you try. Magnus rushes headlong into the conversation.

“And how’s ole Kravitz? Sucks that necromancers had to pick tonight to do their creepy cult stuff. And Lup, Barry, they said they might make it later, how are they?”

Taako grumbles something inaudible, poking the dying embers of the fire viciously. Magnus inches closer.

“Sorry bud, didn’t catch that.”

And that does it. Taako looks up with a dramatic start.

“I said, how should I know. It’s not like I’ve seen them all week. I’ve half a mind to call up the Raven Queen to arrange for a bounty on my own head, just to see their fucking faces. It’s not like I’m not busy, with the school, and the show and the merch. Who’s got time for family dinner.” His voice keeps getting louder and Magnus glances back to Carry and Killian. They haven’t stirred yet, but Magnus does not want to be responsible for waking them. He gently takes Taako by the elbow and leads him away.

“I can do death crimes, just you wait. What’s a guy got to do to see his family? Who do I gotta unkill? Cause I’ll—” he trails off when he notices they’re standing in Magnus’ kitchen and not outside. He kind of droops. Taako really looks like he could use a hug. Magnus ponders how to best offer one without insulting him, but gets distracted when he notices how much the room is spinning. Taako has in the meantime draped himself over the kitchen counter and is loudly bemoaning his fate.

“Why d’you gotta ask, Magnus? Why? I was fine before, but now, now. Now you made me feel _feelings._ You know what,” he lifts his head and looks Magnus in the eye in a piercing manner that is very menacing this late at night. “Yeah, you know what? You ask a stupid question, you gotta swallow the consequences. Gotta pay the price, Burnsides!” He pushes himself unsteadily up from the counter, makes an about turn that would’ve been crisper if he hadn’t been swaying, and throws his shawl over his shoulder. He marches into Magnus bedroom, only knocking an elbow into the doorpost once, and throws himself on the bed. He bounces slightly. After a moment’s pause, he lifts the floppy brim of his hat just enough to narrow his eyes at Magnus.

“This bed is now sovereign territory of the Taako Brand. I’m commandeering it.” He stares hard at Magnus, like he’s daring him to protest. Magnus would offer Taako the bed, but that doesn’t solve the situation. He remembers this game. It’s when Taako puts himself in the most inconvenient place, like a small cat managing to take up half the couch, challenging you to move him. Lup does it too, sometimes, but she’s a little more in your face about it. When Lup wants company she just loudly demands it. Taako just arranges everything just so, so that company and cuddles will happen and he still gets to grumble about it.

Magnus could call him on it, but that would be a lot of effort and he is suddenly very, very sleepy. Instead, he says “fine by me” and takes a running leap to land next to Taako on the bed. Since it’s his own handiwork, it doesn’t even creak and Magnus takes a moment to pat the sturdy wood approvingly.

“Sleepover it is, just like old times.”

Taako protests the invasion of his newly commandeered space, but he pushes into Magnus anyway. He’s trying for obnoxious, but landing on just cuddly.

When Magnus wakes up it is with not one but two elves drooling on his chest and the groaning voices of the rest of his friends just outside. From the smell of it, someone is making incredibly strong coffee. Magnus really hopes it’s not Barry, since his coffee is lethal. He wonders when Barry and Lup arrived. It’s nice they could kick some cultist ass in time to make breakfast for their hungover friends. It’s like before, but better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's Magnus' chapter! Next up is the one I've been looking forward to sharing the most (and also my favourite) Kravitz' chapter!
> 
> I try to be canon compliant wherever I can, except when they say that these boys didn't see eachother for a full year and everyone was fine with that. Then I ignore canon and fill it in with housewarmings and family parties because you don't go through their kind of lives to then be chill with not seeing each other. So there.
> 
> This week's shoutout goes to the person who told me this story made them feel happy, good and amazing.  
> Comments make my day, I also take suggestions on what to write next, since this story will be done soon and the big one I'm writing won't be finished for a while.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	5. Boyfriend cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this final chapter, Kravitz makes a suit, collects a boyfriend and catches a feeling or two.

Kravitz smooths down his suit and looks critically at his reflection. The dark grey wool contrasts nicely with the red shine of his eyes, but he still prefers black. This new suit is an attempt to diversify his wardrobe, move away from the black on black. He runs his fingers over the delicate feather on his cufflinks. He might be trying something new, but it is still a work outfit, after all. Something slightly more relaxed, just to do the paperwork. Less skull and scythe, a little more style and a subtle edge of danger.

He smooths down the lapels of the jacket. They lay flat obediently, the collar rolling down nicely. In earlier years, Kravitz had attempted to combine some spookier elements into his suits, really up the visual dramatics. He'd quickly stopped. Spiked collars and pointed shoulders were all very well, but not when they ruin the clean lines of an exquisite piece of tailoring. He does still have the outfits he based on a more classical look. Formal tails, white vest with a nearly indistinguishable crème skull and bones motif. He might have designed those ones after he saw a performance of a favourite conductor, but if he did that's between him and the Raven Queen and no one else. But for now, he wants something more suited to the more relaxed lifestyle he is living now. Something that would suit the days he knew Taako would call him for some reason or other. A suit he wouldn't need to change to not look out of place next to Taako's everything. Because Taako does that now. Just calls to see if Kravitz is available to keep him company. Or if there’s some new delicacies he thinks Kravitz cannot exist without a minute longer. Or to make fun of his robes, if he catches him just after a hunt. That might be part of the reason for this new colourful suit. The cravat is a very dark purple and matches the grey wool nicely. Kravitz is earnestly trying to be more colourful, but he's still not comfortable venturing beyond dark purple, blue and red. And then only in sombre accent colours. And besides, Kravitz has a feeling Taako likes being the colourful butterfly next to Kravitz's black bat. He's certainly dressing more and more vibrantly, whether that's the fame, the returned memories or the lessened need for practicality now he's touring instead of adventuring.

It’s nice, that Taako cares about clothes as much as Kravitz. Even if it’s in a very different way. Taako’s clothes are thrifted and stolen, expensive and gifted alike. Half his shoes are from optimistic fools who thought they could beat either Taaco twin at pool. Kravitz’ suits are all tailored specifically for him, constructed from magic like his body is a construct for his soul. There's an art to this. It's not just closing your eyes and wishing for a suit. Well, that's a possibility, but that leaves you dressed in merely the idea of a suit. Kravitz prefers to go around dressed in something a little more substantial than just the arcane version of wishful thinking. Just materialising any old suit won’t do either. Ill-fitting suits are for people who don’t mind not having full use of their arms. Or looking like a chump. Kravitz does not fall in either category, so he takes painstaking care in designing his suits to move smoothly with the warp and weft of the wool. And since has forever, he gets to take hours taking in every detail, changing the imprints on the buttons or the exact shades of contrasting thread. Perhaps the collar should be just a little bit broader?

Sounds and flashing lights call his attention away from inspecting the stitching on the buttonholes. Nowadays his eons of solitude in between missions get broken by frequent interruptions from the living world. It’s strange, how he’s never felt more alive. He finds where he left his stone of farspeech under a pile of fabric swatches and answers it quickly.

"Hello? Is everything alright?" Too often, his calls are of the emergency variety. Even though sometimes the emergency is the disappearance of a particularly beloved cutting board. All he hears is the faraway noise of a crowd, until after a moment he finally hears Taako’s lilting voice.

"Hello. Hi. My hands all cramped up. Signatures, my man, way too many autographs. I'm beat. Take me somewhere quiet where no one will stare at me, Reaper Man, stat."

Kravitz closes his eyes, concentrates on the comforting familiarity of Taako's shining soul and creates a rift. Taako turns at the sound, smiles with tired eyes and lifts his arms in an imperious demand to be carried out. His glamour won't allow him to look tired, but it's still coming off him in palpable waves. A shock goes through Kravitz' system, but he ignores it to make his way through the portal and sweep Taako in his arms. Not an easy feat, since Taako's hat and multitude of shawls and a range of accessories make him unwieldy, slippery and stabby at the same time. That's probably why Taako does it.

Taako might like being carried, but he must be really tired. He hasn't mentioned Kravitz's daring use of a non-black colour yet and he's one yawn away from just hiding his face in Kravitz' neck and going to sleep. Careful of his precious burden, Kravitz steps through the portal into his apartment. He fumbles a little to close it, but afterwards smoothly carries Taako to the bedroom. Taako doesn’t even react to the jolting. Kravitz carefully puts him on the bed and considers what to do next. He’d try and take off Taako’s shoes, but the high-heeled boots are very intricately tied and Kravitz does not want to ruin them. Instead, he presses a soft kiss to Taako’s forehead.

“Rest well, love,” he says softly, and turns to leave. Behind him, Taako immediately sits up indignantly, his hat falling off.

“My man, where do you think you’re going?” Kravitz turns back. Taako’s flinging away bracelets, looking wide awake again.

“I thought I’d let you sleep,” Kravitz explains himself. He thought it’d be obvious. “You must be exhausted from all those people. That’s why you called me, didn’t you? Shortest distance to a bed?”

Taako looks up from taking off his boots with a start. "Ch’yeah, but what's the use of having your bed if you're not in it, huh?"

"Oh," says Kravitz, overcome with emotions. Taako smirks at him, in that way he does when he wants to hide emotions he’s not inclined to show.

"Oh is right, handsome, so take off that fancy colourful suit – don't think I haven't noticed that— and come give a guy some company." He holds up the blanket in invitation.

Normally, Kravitz would be loath to take off his new suit before he's completely done finishing it. But there's a rushing in his ears and maybe it's far too warm in the room to wear a three-piece suit after all. He banishes the suit to his closet and climbs into Taako's outstretched arms. Taako makes a satisfied sound, snuggles in, and promptly falls asleep. Kravitz soon follows, lulled by the sound of two heartbeats, where a minute ago there was only one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the one I've been most excited about sharing. I love Kravitz so much. As for what's next, I have about 5k in short interconnected taz snippets saved up, but those aren't quite ready for sharing yet, so the next thing I post will be whatever random cute story pops up in my mind first. I rather like this weekly posting schedule, so we'll see. If you have a suggestion, do let me know!
> 
> Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought! Which chapter was your favourite?
> 
> Thank you all for reading and see you for the next fic!

**Author's Note:**

> I just really like how characters go from friends to family, can you tell?
> 
> Let me know what you thought!  
> And as always, thanks for reading!


End file.
